Chase
by fishyfinish500
Summary: During the Kharlan War, the hero Mithos traveled with his four companions to end the war. The fifth, Chasion, was forgotten.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfiction in a long time. All critique will be appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or any of these characters.

* * *

Once upon a time, five heroes traveled the worlds and sought to bring peace to an endless war. The hero, the goddess, the renegade, heaven's traitor, the forgotten. Five who set out; four who would be remembered forever; three who would rule the world; two who would live forever trying to put the pieces back together.

And I, the one who was forgotten.

"Milady, there are guests here to see you."

It was always a certain type of people that they sent to me: the people that they didn't want to deal with. Most often, it was people who would complain about the war. I didn't have the power to change it, did I? If I did, this war would have ended long ago.

I went to meet our guests, preparing myself for the worst. But I froze as I saw the man waiting for me. A tall man with hair as blue as the sky. It had been many years since I had seen him, but I knew him. He was possibly the last person I'd expect to see here. "Yuan Kafai?"

"Is that really you?" he asked as he saw me. I had been a very different person when he had seen me last. Then again, he hadn't worn armor either, and the two people behind him hadn't been there either.

"Let's go inside," I finally said. "It appears that we have a lot to catch up on."

I was a little girl when we first met, in the streets of the city history would one day call Asgard.

And then there were two little boys. And the older boy asked with red eyes, "Where are your parents?"

"They're gone," I said. Like so many others, my parents had been lost in the war. The older boy gave me a look like he understood, and he offered me his hand.

"We'll do what we can. I'm Kratos; this is my little brother, Yuan."

"I'm Chasion," I said. I knew nothing else about these boys besides their kind eyes and their names, but I followed them. Perhaps that was when I started.

"You've come a long way, Chase," Yuan said as he followed me in. His companions, a woman of my age and a young boy, were watching me as if they didn't know what to think of me or the place I was leading them. Judging from their clothes, simple at best, I figured they had never expected to be here. I offered them a kind smile. "I never thought that little girl we took in all those years ago would grow up to be-"

"A princess?" I finished for him. The little boy's blue eyes went wide, and I nodded. "It's true. I am now Chasion Wilder, one of the princesses of Tethella. Although, princess is kind of stretching it." At last, we reached my rooms. "I married one of the younger sons of the king, and now they have to put up with me." I cast a glance at my ring. I loved my husband and my child, but they were so rarely around. "Mainly they make me deal with the people that they don't want to."

"That's why they sent us to you?" Yuan asked. The woman sighed.

"Well, perhaps you could start off by explaining who 'us' is?" I offered, taking a seat. The other two hadn't said a word.

"Of course, how rude of me," he said, and he turned to his companions. "Chase, these are my friends, Mithos," he pointed to the boy, "and Martel." They had similar faces, wide blue eyes and slim bodies. The girl had long, green hair; the boy was blond, a young teenager at best. They were dressed plainly, reminding me of the days before the brothers found me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Martel said with a smile; she had a lovely smile.

"Indeed. I hope that I can help you with what you need, as long as it's in my power."

"Right." Yuan straightened up. "In all the excitement of meeting you, I nearly forgot. We were hoping to enlist the help of the royal family to end the war." It always came back to this. I sighed.

"This war has been going on for a thousand years," I said. "I don't know how much we can do."

"If it helps," the boy spoke up, his voice slightly shaking, "I hold a contract with one of the summon spirits." I sat up a little straighter at this. Looking at the boy, I found it hard to believe. People always came around, claiming that they had the power of the Spirits, but it had been a long time since anybody had actually been able to use the power. Perhaps, if they had, they might have been able to stop the attack...

"You? Which one?"

"Gnome," he said. "I fought him all by myself."

"Now, now," Martel said suddenly and quietly, and Mithos looked down, "you don't need to tell the nice lady everything." I wondered about that. If it was true, it was a thing to be proud of. Martel didn't look very proud...

"I thought as much. Tethe'alla has always been stubborn when it comes to help," Yuan sneered. I wanted to say something to defend my adopted nation, but I couldn't find the words. It's hard, when I had lived in both nations.

"It will take a lot of power; power that I don't have right now," I said apologetically. As always, I found myself wishing it was in my control. I would have ended this stupid war long ago. Then again, I didn't think Sylvarant would accept anything less than a full on surrender.

"Well, Chasion, maybe you could help us gain it," Yuan said suddenly. "There is one group that we believe holds the key to ending the war. The summon spirits. We're on a journey to gain their power. We were hoping Tethealla could lend us power to fight them, but maybe you could." The summon spirits across the world... It did sound tempting. "Will you join us?"

* * *

That's it for chapter one. Yes, Chase is Zelos's ancestor. This is my NaNoWriMo project so expect a chapter every day.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia or any of the characters.

If anybody would like to beta read for me or help develop this story, please message me.

* * *

"Do you really have the power to summon spirits?"

It was my first night traveling with Yuan and his friends. We were on our way to the next temple- that's where they said the spirits were- but it was hard to travel in the night. I could hardly see two feet in front of me.

It had seemed like such a good idea, leaving with them. Going and doing something that actually mattered, changing my fate. We'd planned as we walked out of the city and caught up, but now it was night, and I was left with the realization that I only knew one of these people. Although they had been glad to see me go, at least I'd known the royal family. I only knew Yuan. I couldn't always be with him; now, Yuan and Martel were talking, and I was left with the boy. It was all I could think to say.

"Yeah. I have Gnome with me," the boy said, pulling out a card. "Do you want to see him?"

I entertained the idea, but I knew that Gnome had a certain reputation. He would probably cause more trouble than he was worth. "I'll take your word for it now."

He nodded, putting his card away. I wondered if it was disappointment in his eyes. "I have the power. They've told me about it since I was little..."

"A very great power," I assured him, remembering the way Martel had chided him. Although I couldn't shake the question that had been on my mind since he had first mentioned summoning. "But don't you need some powerful elven blood to do that?" There was a flash of fear in his eyes, and he was on his feet like he was going to bolt. He covered his face like he was expecting me to hurt him. "Mithos," I asked, "what's wrong?"

"When people find out what we are, they don't like us," he said quietly. "They nearly chased us out of Meltokio, the first time that we came-"

"The first time?" I asked. And then I remembered reports of a green-haired woman with a boy by her side trying to gain audience with the king; they had a warning. That was before my marriage but everybody talked about it; they were said to be fools. Well, until the day of the attack... "You were the ones who tried to warn the king about the Mana Cannon." He nodded; he still looked like a deer in headlights. If that happened, it was a wonder that they had ever come back. I could hardly believe they had the bravery when traveling with a Sylvarant soldier! I beckoned him over to my side. "I'm not going to hurt you, Mithos. It doesn't matter to me that you have elven blood. If anything, it helps with the quest. We're going to need your power to end this war." I regretted saying it, knowing it couldn't be done, but his eyes lit up when I said it as if he believed me. That this young boy could bring about the end of the war with his power. Perhaps I wanted to believe that too.

He nodded, slowly sitting down next to me. I decided to switch gears. Knowing that he was an elf, I had so many questions. It wasn't every day that I got to meet one. "I don't think I've spent much time around elves-"

"I thought you were friends with Yuan?" he asked. "He's a half-elf, just like me and my sister."

"That's true." I had never really thought about him as a half-elf though, even though it shone plainly in his blue hair. "He never showed me his magic though. I guess the people in the city frowned on it. I was... very young then. I always wanted to see magic."

"I can show you some." He held out his hand, and light danced across his palm. I made the appropriate 'oohs' and 'aahs.' He spent the rest of our waking time showing off his magic, mainly his light magic, until it was time to go to bed. As I went to sleep, I smiled at the thought of the elves I'd made the acquaintance of.

* * *

The next morning, as we were getting ready to go, Martel approached me. "When you were in the city," she asked, "did you meet an intimidating man with red eyes?"

"Which one?" I asked, and her eyes widened. I wasn't messing around with her; I knew several men in that city with blood red eyes, each more intimidating than the last.

"I don't know his name. He was traveling with us, we rescued him, but he got separated from us. He said that he was from the capital, so I thought you might know him. I was hoping that we could find him. He had a crest that looked like this." She handed me a picture; I would know that crest anywhere.

"Well, that is the crest of the Aurion family," I told her. "They're one of the most famous families in Meltokio. Captain Aurion," I paused for a moment; he might be the man that they were looking for, but I didn't know how to say that they could never find him, "is the king's personal guard. But I don't know whether it's him or his sons that you're talking about."

"Sons?"

"He has twin sons. I was never able to tell them apart." I had only seen them around the castle; I didn't even know their names. And they were always together, so I never bothered to know which one was which.

"Sorry if I can't help you."

"No, no, it was silly of me to think that you'd know everybody there," she said, looking over her shoulder at Mithos and Yuan. "It looks like we should get going. We have a long day ahead of us."

We went back to the boys, who were looking over the map. "So, where are we headed to next?"

"The Temple of Darkness."

I shivered at the sound of it. What a place, for our first temple. "Well," I said, "I guess we better get going."

* * *

We had traveled for a long time, but we finally reached the Temple of Darkness. I wasn't sure what to expect, even Mithos seemed nervous, as I slowly pushed the door open. Somehow, I doubted that the Summon Spirit there would be very friendly.

As I stepped inside, I found that I couldn't see a foot in front of me. What a surprise. The Temple of Darkness was dark. And then I remembered what Mithos had showed me. "Mithos, you need to use some of that lovely light magic of yours to light our way."

"Right." Mithos stepped forward, his light blazing in his hand. His step was unsteady, but Martel went to his side, leading the way. She seemed to walk with ease.

Yuan looked at me like I was crazy, then he smiled. "Ah. I do believe that we half-elves can see better in the dark. It's still dark, but we can see now, with his spell." He offered me his hand. As soon as Mithos's light revealed all the edges, I took his hand and hoped that half-elves were steadier on their feet too.

We climbed deeper and deeper into the darkness, but their steps hardly faltered. If anything, they seemed more confidant in the dark. In the silent, heavy darkness, it felt like we would try to find our way forever. Wandering, trying to find our way out, going ever deeper and deeper in the darkness that never ended.

"This is it; I can feel his presence," Mithos announced. He drew a deep shuddering breath, his light flickering out in his hand. "I'm going to need all of my energy for this fight."

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "We'll be beside you in this fight. I'm pretty good with a sword, and I know Yuan can fight-"

"It has to be him," Martel spoke out; I turned to the sound of her voice. Mithos was just a child; how could we leave him to fight something that he knew nothing about? "Believe me, there is nothing that I wish more than that my brother would not have to fight by himself, but he is the summoner. He must fight the spirit alone so that he can prove that he is strong enough to summon him."

"I'll be fine," he said, though his voice did not scream confidence. "The three of you should get out of the way of the damage. Knowing spirits," there was something in his voice that I could not identify, something I could almost call fear, "this place will not be pretty."

I wasn't sure I was convinced, but the others lead me away, up the stairs, to wait for the news. I could hear Mithos's voice cry out to the spirit. Waiting, out of sight, just enough to hear the sounds of the battle below, it was enough to make one go mad.

And then there was a scream; it didn't sound like the spirit's!

"Mithos!" Yuan cried. Before Martel could warn him, he was tearing down the stairs, his strange sword already in his hands. Martel was frozen; I didn't know what to do.

"The spirit... will be mad," Martel said quietly. And then she grabbed me by the hand and ran.

As we made it to the battlefield, I searched for any sign of our fighters. Even in the darkness, I could make out Yuan's blue hair. And then I noticed the red below. I felt sick to my stomach as I saw sweet Mithos in Yuan's arms, a gaping wound in his back. Then I noticed the.. .things surrounding us. Creatures made out of the blackest darkness; I could not see the number. They blocked out the world with their power; there was only these things...

"Indignation!" pure power like I had never seen before ripped from Yuan, aiming at the darkness. I could Martel's voice calling out spell after spell, and I knew it was my duty to fight too. I couldn't just leave my friends, could I? I drew my sword, and I fought the darkness. I didn't know how I could attack those things, but I tried what I could, I slashed at it like it could feel-

"Proven," a voice said, a voice that resonated through me. The heavy darkness seemed to lesson, and I saw a figure standing before us, the shape of the creature but so much larger. "Vow."

Mithos looked up, his eyes practically glazed over, but he managed to say, "I want to protect this world.. Lend us your power!"

"Vow made..." With that, the darkness was gone. And we turned our attention back to our bleeding hero, losing color every second. Martel was whispering healing spells, but it didn't seem to do much good. She shook her head, brushing tears from her eyes.

"It's no use. My spells are exhausted. We have to get him out of here!"

"I know where we can go."

* * *

"My friend is in danger; I fear that he might not survive much longer. I need you to heal him right away!"

"Yes, Milady." I grinned as they whisked Mithos away. I didn't have much power within the castle, but I was still a member of the royal family. So even though Mithos was an elf, and I could see the looks on their faces, they had no choice but to help him. Martel and Yuan nearly collapsed in gratitude, always watching the door. I took a seat, waiting. I had a feeling he was going to be fine.

"Thank you, Chasion," Martel said, sitting with me, tears in her eyes. "I was so afraid that I was going to lose my brother." I smiled at her, wanting to calm her.

"It's the least I can do," I told her. Trying to ease her, I said, "It's one of the perks of being royalty, getting people to do what you want."

"He's all I have left," she said, as if she couldn't hear me. I didn't know what to say to that, but I said the wrong thing.

"If you're worried about him, why did you let him make the summons?" I didn't know much of elf magic, but I did presume that siblings would have the same magic. Shouldn't you..."

"You'd think," she said, very quiet. I noticed Yuan slip away out of the corner of my eyes, and then she turned to look at me, a bitter smile on her face. "I failed last time."

"Last time?"

"It was a few years ago, before we met Yuan, when we still lived in Heimdall." The mystical village of the elves. How strange it was, that this woman, who looked mine own age, had lived there. Her eyes were distant as she spoke, her voice very soft. "They told us it was dangerous. The elves didn't care about the war, we hid in our own little village. To me, it was paradise. How bad could the outside world be?"

* * *

As I stepped into Gnome's cavern, I felt like I could take on the world.

"Your magic is powerful," my father- she could sense these things- would say to me and Mithos, when we were little. "You're going to make Heimdall proud."

And now pride swelled up inside me as I stood before Gnome. He was big, but I didn't feel small. I told him, "I have come to make a pact with you!"

And he laughed, a hearty sound. "You have to fight me first. Do you think you're up to the challenge?" And he attacked me. Oh, it was terrible. All of that power I thought I had was gone. I tried to cast a spell, but he hit it away each time. The few spells that managed to catch him did nothing.

With one powerful blast, he sent me back. The world was spinning, and I saw another spell charging under him. I knew that it would be my last. I was going to die; I had never been more afraid.

And then he was there. "Don't hurt my daughter!" My father. He had known that I had gone- and where I had gone. He was there, my hero. And he helped me to my feet and healed my injuries. His eyes were harsh with anger, but he turned and he fought for me. And we fought together.

With my father by my side, I felt strong. I could fight, and together we did. Together, we managed to fight Gnome. When we fought together, he didn't like that.

He blasted my father; I'd never seen anything like it before or since. I ran to him, but he was... he was already gone.

Gnome looked at me and said, "If you're going to fight me, little girl, at least have the strength to do it alone."

It all happened so fast, there was nothing I could do to save him. I doubt he even felt it. I ran all the way back to Heimdall. I was so ashamed; I couldn't speak to my mom, I couldn't look at Mithos. Mithos looked so much like him. He has hair like mom, but their faces, their eyes, are the same.

When they found out, they blamed us. They blamed me. My father was an elf, we were just half-elves to them. Without him, we were nothing. I was a nothing who had killed her own father. That's what they said. They made us leave.

"I'm sorry, Mithos. If I hadn't been so afraid-"

"I can't believe they'd do such a thing to us. To kick us out like that!" Mithos snarled, pulling vines away in the forests. It was a long walk from the village we had once called home. He turned to me, staring with those wide blue eyes. "You're sorry?"

"I did it."

He placed a hand on my shoulder; his face was suddenly calm. "Do you think that I could ever blame you?" he asked. "It wasn't your fault. It was Gnome's. And I am going to get him. I'm going to make it right."

* * *

"And he did. He fought him and made a pact with him. He does have a good heart; that was where he had the idea to use Gnome's power to end the war. He fought bravely there, just like dad did. He was so strong. I thought I wouldn't have to worry, but he only has light magic. Light magic is weak against darkness.."

She turned to look at me. "That's why I was so harsh. Because it was my mistake. Because when my father fought with me, it got him killed. I don't know why Shadow didn't kill us, why he accepted Mithos's vow, when he should have. Maybe it's different for different spirits, I didn't know..."

I pulled her into a hug. I didn't know what else to say. "I'm sorry."

And we sat like that for a long time. Finally, Yuan stepped out, a smile on his face. "He's going to be all right. The doctors say that he's going to be just fine." Martel buried her face in her hands, smiling like crazy. I couldn't help but smiling too. I noticed Yuan looking at her with something like regret. He went over to her, whispering something to her, but she just shook her head. I sat there and relaxed.

Two spirits down; six to go. And that was just the beginning of the adventure.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or the characters.

* * *

"Where are we heading to next?"

It had been a few days since we had brought Mithos to the hospital. They treated us well, but I could sense that they were getting anxious.

"We're pretty far from anything," Yuan said. "At least, in Tethe'alla. The closest temple is..." As he put his finger on the map, his face went pale, and he shook his head. "No. That can't be it. Not this early."

I took a glimpse at the map, and I understood. The next temple was the Temple of Water. Dear Yuan had been afraid since he was a little boy. It was why, he would later tell me, he had chosen to fight with lightning magic in the first place.

"The next closest is the other side of the continent," I said. I wanted to help him, I really did, but I knew that it would be so much more trouble. Not to mention that we were planning on making pacts with all of the summon spirits. We had to face them at some point.

He was quiet for a moment, then he sighed. I think the look that Martel was giving him- what some might call 'puppy dog eyes'- helped too. "All right, we'll go this way. But I'm gonna roast some monsters when we're there." I gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder as he mumbled, "Perhaps I'll work up the courage on the way there."

"You've got a couple days," I said, and I glanced towards the door. "The boat buying place is right outside." He let out a groan.

* * *

"I'm sorry," the man at the counter said, though he didn't look very sorry, "we don't have any boats left. Not for..." He didn't need to finish that sentence. We walked away, and I saw the hurt in Martel's eyes. I may not have had the excellent sight that she did or the magic, but I didn't have to feel the pain of being rejected because of my race.

"I thought that you could get us stuff," Mithos told me gently. I just shook my head.

"We're pretty far from the castle here," I explained. "In fact, we're approaching the border. Pretty soon, we'll be in Sylvarant territory." Mithos turned away. I looked away, and that was when I noticed the two men approaching the counter.

"We'd like a boat, please?"

They were unmistakable, even though I had only seen them a few times. Tall, dressed in white, similar red hair. The only difference between them was the smile on one of their faces. I tugged on Martel's sleeve, pointing her to the two men.

"Remember how we were talking about Aurion's sons?" I nodded towards the two men. "Those are them." She frowned. I doubted even she could tell them apart. Then she smiled and walked over to them. I don't know what she said, but the man with the frown turned and said something that made the man at the desk go pale.

"Yes, sir," he said. "One boat for you and your friends right away." Mithos was staring with wide eyes. Martel bounced over with the two men in tow. The smiling man waved at us.

"And you were just saying that Tethe'allan power couldn't get you anything here!" Mithos said, laughing at me. I felt a blush come over my cheeks at his words, but the frowning man- okay, I'm just going to call him One; his smiling sibling we'll just call Two- let out a small laugh.

"Not because I'm a knight of Tethe'alla, my friend; it helps when the man realized I was carrying a sword." Mithos looked wide-eyed at the sword at the man's hip. I had had my sword hidden. Figures.

"We were heading to the Temple of Water ourselves," Two said. "It's the way that most people cross into Sylvarant. Why are you guys heading there?"

We exchanged a glance. Should we tell these powerful men about our journey to end the war? Should we tell them how close we were coming? Well, close was relative...

Mithos spoke up, "We'll talk about it on the boat." And he bounded off to the boat that we were going to take. The twins shrugged, and we were on our way.

I was sitting at the front of the boat, lost in the memories. It had been a boat like this that I had first come to Tethe'alla. I thought to change my life once Yuan had left and Kratos had gone away.

* * *

"Care for a spar?"

I looked over to the man, One, and grinned. It had been a while since I had gotten my chance to actually practice with a sword in a spar; not since we had left the castle. "You're on."

Soon, we were sparring. It felt exhilirating, moving with my sword, moving with my sword, fighting with someone who matched my moves. I knew I was pretty good with a sword, but he was just as good.

I noticed after a while that a crowd was watching us. In particular, Mithos could not take his eyes off of One. Finally, One threw up his hands in surrender and sheathed his sword. "Good match, Lady," he said with a good natured grin. I took a bow for the crowd.

Immediately, Mithos ran up to One. "Can you teach me how to do that?" The man looked over to Martel, who nodded.

"All right, Kid. I'll show you some moves once we get back on dry land. I'm a little worn out now." With that, he headed off. I just sighed and looked back out.

"You?"

Yuan had holed himself up in a cabin when he had walked on. He had hardly seen anything, but now he saw One leaving the cabin. One looked at him in surprise and then turned to me. "You're travelling with him?"

And then Two walked out of the cabin, and Yuan jumped back in terror. "He's multiplied!"

"You three know each other?" Martel asked; I wondered if she knew which one was her missing friend. Neither of them had looked at her like they recognized her.

Yuan gritted his teeth and then turned away. "We fought, when I was a soldier for Sylvarant. I suppose I didn't realize there were two of them."

"They're twins-" I started to say, but One just went on arguing.

"You abandoned your people? What else should I expect of a child born of Sylvarant," One said, turning away. I had known Yuan so long, but I had never seen anger like that.

"I left because I was tired of the bloodshed! I left so that I can do something to end this stupid war!" he snarled. "And we're on our way. That's why we're here." Well, I guess the debate about whether we were going to tell them or not was over...

"Oh?" Two walked over to him. His eyes were bright as he examined him, and then he asked, "What exactly are you going to do? We lost our parents fighting," my heart hurt at his words, how casually he said them; it was all too common an occurrence, just like me; "if there's a chance that we could help end this war..." Even Yuan seemed stunned by his words. For a man who he had once fought against, he had a certain... I'd dare to say innocence about him. Kindness.

"Will you help us?" Yuan asked quietly, and Two looked towards his brother.

"We will do what we can."

"Well, it looks like we only have thing left to do," I said, trying to be cheerful. "Make the pact."

And so we began on our way.

* * *

This temple was far easier than the Darkness Temple. Yuan wasn't kidding when he said that he was going to roast some monsters. As we went into each battle, he was the first on the battle, smashing away with his strange sword, his lightning flickering around him. The twins fought side by side. Rarely did one move two feet away before his brother would try to smash in the monster's face.

As we came to Undine, she was already waiting for us. Mithos bowed before the spirit.

"We must battle before we make a pact."

"Undine, will you allow my friends to battle alongside me?" Mithos spoke up. "They do not carry the blood of summoners, but it is them who hold the dream which I fight for."

"If they are willing to fight alongside you, then I will allow it." And we all let out a sigh of relief.

And thus the battle begin. We all jumped forward, swords drawn. I jumped past the water thrown my way, which Yuan was zapping as fast as they were coming, and headed for the spirit herself. I noticed the sword in her hand, and I drew my own blade. Good thing I had gotten in practice.

She swung her sword over Mithos's head, but I brought my own up, blocking her path. At least I could hit her.

The battle was quick. The sixth of us weren't quite in tandem, but we managed to get the job done. And Undine stood before our summoner and said, "Make your vow."

"I vow to use your power to protect the world," Mithos said, and Undine was gone. We all let out a breath. Three spirits down, five to go.

And Two turned to us with that ever bright smile and said, "You know, I hear this is a popular destination for tourists. I think we deserve a rest."

* * *

As Yuan and Mithos went off to find a hotel, I went to look at the geyser. It felt like it had been a world ago when I had last been here. I couldn't imagine that I would be here trying to save our world; how was I to imagine that we'd be well on our way to it? I was just a girl with a dream of becoming something; I thought my dream had come a lot closer when I had been here last, and the man I called my husband had asked for my hand. Goodness, when was the last time I had seen him? Or my child? They had been away from the castle, and I had left.

Martel came up to me. "Isn't it pretty?" I smiled at her. "Sorry, did I disturb you?"

"Not at all. I was just thinking about my family. It's been a long time since I've seen them. It reminded me of them."

"Why would here remind you? Aren't you from Tethe'alla?"

"From Sylvarant. It was a number of years ago, actually. I loved my home, but I needed to get away." Why shouldn't I have? "Yuan was training to be a knight; I didn't know where his brother had gone off to. His family... My family- their parents had taken me in when I was little- was good to be. But home was empty without them. So I left. I wanted to find my own place. And I went to Tethe'alla, where I met my husband. And there I stayed and had my own little family."

"That does explain a lot. Yuan didn't tell us a lot about himself; I didn't even know he had a brother." We all had a personal stories, painful secrets that we didn't need to tell the world. I just shrugged.

"I was thinking of my husband. He proposed to me here." I looked out to the geyser, as beautiful as it was. "And my daughter." She was young, younger than Mithos. "I wonder if I'll get to take her here, when the war is over." Privately, I wondered if I would get to see them again. I didn't want to say that out loud, lest I make the fear come true.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Symphonia or these characters.

* * *

As the coast grew larger, I wondered would it was going to be like, coming back home. It had been years.

Finally, we stepped off the boat, onto the shore. Though my heart was racing, nothing seemed to change. I was on a different shore, but nothing had caught on fire, nobody had died. I was the same woman I was.

Yuan came over to me. "Look at where the next temple is." I knew it right away. In the city where it all began. I truly was going home.

"So this is your capital city?"

Meltokio was a glorious city; in that day and age, so long ago, even Palmacosta was glorious. It was the biggest city in Sylvarant, and, though I was excited to visit my home, it was exciting to be in such a big city. I had traveled this way before, but I had hardly seen it when I was leaving my home behind.

I found that there was one problem in my joy at being in such a city. For a human like me, it was fine. But we had three half-elves travelling with us, and the world was not kind to half-elves. I wondered if it would ever be.

As we passed through, I heard people whisper. I could barely hear them, but I knew that my friends with their sensitive ears could hear them. "Disgraceful. Our city ruined by those things travelling through..."

"Haven't they brought enough pain to us all? If they hadn't-" I'll stop; it was painful enough just to hear them. I don't need to remember the hateful words towards them.

Martel, as quiet and gentle as ever, said, "We should get out of here as quick as we can." She bowed her head to hide her tears. I hurried with them.

We faced another problem at the inn. We had to stop; it was getting too late for us to travel. The man at the counter turned away as soon as he saw us. "I'm sorry, we don't serve your kind."

Mithos looked to One, as if expecting him to do the trick with his sword again. One looked down at him and shook his head. Hostility would not be our friend here, not in the city that hated them. As we walked out of the inn, I saw something in Mithos's eyes that worried me. Not tears, like had been in his sister's, but anger.

* * *

We had made camp before, and it hadn't been so bad, but it felt so strange when we were in the outskirts of a city. None of the inns would take us in. It may have bothered me a bit, but I kept my head up. This was just life for them. I could tell that Mithos was affected, despite how close Martel was to him, whispering in his ear and trying to provide comfort to her brother.

One stepped in. "Mithos, would you like to start our training?" He looked up, wide-eyed at the human man.

"You don't hate us, do you?" he asked; his voice was very quiet, as if just asking that would make him realize that he hated them and would flee. He even looked at me. I had come all this way with them, but this had shaken him.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I will follow you until the end, my friend," I said, and he nodded. One sighed and shook his head.

"It is not blood that determines our fate. I wish that things were different, Mithos, but we will help you in the quest. It will be not be blood that parts us."

He nodded and followed after the taller man to go train. I watched after them, and I went to sit by the fire, where I noticed that Two and Martel was talking.

"Do you face this often?"

"This is every day for a half-elf," Martel said quietly. "I try to shield Mithos from it as best as I can, but I know that he feels it too. When we were in Heimdall, people judged us because our mother was human. That was all that they saw of us. I wish... I wish that people wouldn't treat us different because of our blood."

"I never realized," Two said. "In the castle... when I was training, I saw elves and half-elves, but they were practically invisible. I knew an elf growing up, but he never complained. If I had known... I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Martel said with a gentle smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She brushed her hands over her chest, a motion that I often saw her doing, as if she was hiding something there. I didn't question her.

I tore my eyes away from her and tried to focus on something else. I chose to look at our bag instead, see what supplies we should get while we were in our capital. I hoped that we would be able to get out of there quickly the next morning, but I noticed that there was a problem.

"We're out of food."

* * *

I went into the city the next morning to get food, but Martel insisted on coming with me. She wouldn't say why. As I started to get food, I noticed her slipping away. I grabbed her hand.

"In a city like this, I don't think that you should stray too far," I said; not after the talk I had heard. She shook her head.

"There's something I have to do by myself," she said, her voice very quiet. "I'll meet you back here in a little bit, okay?" Something in her expression worried me.

"Is everything all right?" I asked, and she tore her gaze away from me. I noticed that she was pressing her hand over her chest again. "If something is wrong, then you should tell us. We could get you help."

She pulled me along, knowing that I would not leave her alone until I knew that she was all right. Her voice was very quiet as we walked. "It is a small problem, I think. I didn't want to worry the others." She pulled me aside, and she lifted the shawl that she wore so that I could see the problem. I had never seen anything like it before.

There was something that could only be described as a crystal just above her chest; looking again, I noticed that it was embedded in her skin. In another occasion, it might have beautiful, but the skin around it was red and swollen. It looked painful to the touch.

"What is it?"

"When we left Heimdall, the village elders gave this to me. They said that it would give me the strength of a true elf. I don't know what it is," she looked away, her long bangs hiding her face. "It has made me stronger, stronger than I thought, in battle, but I feel weaker. I feel sick. And then I looked at it recently and I saw this..." Her voice was very weak. "I haven't told anybody about this. Nobody seems to have heard about crystals like this. I thought maybe somebody at the famous Palmacosta school would help me." She looked up at me with determination. "Please don't try to stop me; please don't tell the others-"

"I'm going to make sure that you're all right," I said. She was my friend, and I was going to help her. She smiled at me, and we were on our way.

I didn't know what to say as we went into the institute. Martel looked very scared as she covered herself, like she didn't know what they were going to do to her. The others glared at us, and I stepped forward.

"Is anybody interesting in helping us in the science of the elves?" I called out. "We have a rare crystal with strange power that it appears that science hasn't touched." They all stared at me, and maybe I shouldn't have said anything.

Then one of the scientists, a man with silver hair, stepped forward. "I'll take a look at it." Martel smiled gratefully, and we went into the scientist's room.

"Fascinating, I've only heard about this in legend." After a long while of looking at his computer, the silver-haired scientist finally spoke up.

Martel looked hopeful at the scientist's words. "There are legends about this? Please, anything that you know will help."

"They say that it is an ancient power of the elves that will unlock the fullest potential of the wearer. They will become something more than human or elf," they said. "Something more than anyone could dream. Even for those legends, this is evolved."

"If it's so powerful, why is it weakening me?" Martel asked. "When I'm wearing it, outside of battle, it feels like it's taking all of my strength." I looked at him in concern.

"It appears to be due to your mana signature."

"Mana signature?" I asked. I knew of mana, they called it the energy of the world, but I didn't know much of it. The scientist looked pitingly at me.

"Everybody, regardless of race, has mana of their own," Martel explained patiently. I guess that there were things that elves knew more about. "Humans can not manipulate it, but they have it. And the amount, the feeling of their mana, is different for everybody; the chance to find two people with the same mana signature... That may come once in a thousand years." Hearing all of those sparked a lot of questions in my mind, but I knew that now was not the time to ask. I'd have to ask Martel when she wasn't so sick. "It appears that it is the presence of my mana is what is making me sick."

"According to legend, there is one thing that can help you, that can slow down the pain. It is as far as we know in the science. An item called a keycrest. They say that the dwarves," I knew nothing of dwarves, but Martel nodded as if she understood, "can create one if you get the proper materials."

"Where would you get the materials?" I asked, and Martel looked at me in surprise. If my friend needed help, I was going to give it to her.

"There is a mine near by," he said. "It is where dwarves are said to be. I must warn you that we know little about the science of these crystals; if something is to happen, we won't know how to stop it. I'm sorry, Martel."

"No, thank you. You have helped us quite a bit," I said, getting to my feet. And, as I was about to walk away, I realized that, for all of his help, we had not even gotten his name. "What is your name, Sir?"

"Sage," he said, with a smile. "My name is Genis Sage."

* * *

I knew that Martel didn't want to worry the others with her illness, but I knew that we had to do something to help her. We could have all the power in the world, but it wasn't worth it if we couldn't save our friend.

As we made it back to our friends, I figured out what to say. I stood up straight and I said in my best royal voice, "We have found that there is another source of power besides the Summon Spirits. A kind of power that will help us unleash the power within us. It is good luck that we happen to be nearby a place that we could easily achieve this power." They all looked at me in surprise, and I took our map in my hands. As I laid my eyes on our destination, I knew that it was where we had to go. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I turned to our group and said, "We need to go to the Toize Valley Mine."

It was only a few days destination to the mines. I had done well with keeping Martel's secret so far, as nervous as I was, but I decided to ask the questions that had been on the tip of my tongue when we had been in Sage's office. So I fell in step with Yuan, and I asked, "What can you tell me about mana?"

He gave me a curious look. "What do you want to know?"

"I asked Martel about it, and she said that humans have it too-"

"It's in every living thing, Chase," he explained patiently. "It's in the very earth." He turned his eyes to the sky. "It is the very source of life." I didn't know that.

Mithos came up to us. "You're talking about mana? I can explain!"

"You'd probably know better, being from Heimdall," Yuan explained, passing him off. He went to go pour over the map with Martel, and I turned to the young boy.

"Mana is everywhere, and everybody has a little bit of their own. We elves can sense it, you know."

"I suppose that elves and half-elves have more?"

"Not really, actually. It's like how much power they have and what kind. Martel has a lot of it, but so does Teacher," he said. "Martel says that I have a lot too. Would you like to know about yours?"

Somehow, I felt like it wouldn't do too much for my confidence. "I'll just leave that a secret." It figured that Martel had a lot, if she had such power.

"Half-elves and elves, due to the fact that we can sense it, can manipulate it. That's what we call magic. And we're not the only ones who can use magic either!" I listened carefully to his explanation. "That's where the summon spirits get their power from. They have the MOST power! Seriously, when we're around them, it's enough to take your breath away. Their strength in manipulating mana is why, of course, we need their help to end the war." So that was why. I guess I didn't know much about this world.

I thought of a time long ago, that people didn't like to talk about, when the castle had been attacked. The mana cannon. They said that humans had gotten their hands on a ton of mana that day... "Where does all the mana come from?"

"Well, there is a legend, by the elves." Did the elves have a legend for everything? "There is a legend of a tree that holds nearly all of the mana in the world." Seeing the look in my eye, he explained, "When the Sylvarant army attacked, they said that they were able to use one of the seeds of the Great Tree. Martel and I tried to stop them..." His eyes were distant; he clenched his fists. "They had no idea, what kind of power they were wielding, the kind of damage they nearly... they did. What happened to the..." He looked up at me, guilt in his eyes. "Nevermind. Forget I said anything."

I wanted to ask him the truth, I wanted to ask him what we could do, but I kept my mouth shut. Right now, we held a lot of power, but I had a feeling this is something that we would be completely powerless against.

* * *

At last, we arrived at the mine. The sheer size of it was intimidating, but it was my idea, and we would be doing the best that we could.

"So the source of power is here?" Yuan asked me as we approached it. I didn't even know where to start. I didn't even know what these things were called.

"Can we help you?"

I looked down at the rather short man standing there. He had a full beard and a pickaxe in his hand. I would have to be the ambassador here.

"We have heard that there is a great power here that could be useful in ending the war," I said, and the man looked at me. He must have seen my clothes, some of my fanciest ones, and realized my power.

"We're not helping the crown, lass. I'm sure they have enough power." I saw worry in their eyes, and I turned to him.

"We're not from the crown. We're seeking to end the war in a peaceful way," I said, and I offered, taking him by the arm, "Perhaps I could explain our mission to you? I'm sure that you could help us greatly."

The man sighed and turned away. "Come with me." My heart was in my throat as I walked away with him, trying to figure out how to explain. I had to tell him the truth.

"My friend is sick. She has a special crystal like nothing else that we've heard of. And it's hurting her. We heard that you can help us."

"So you're not actually seeking to end the war?"

"We are. And my friend could be essential to it." And I explained the mission to the man, and his expression softened, and he sighed. "We need a lot of power to make people see sense. And there is a lot of power here."

"We are tired. We have lost a lot of our own kind to this war," he said, and he turned away, closing his eyes. "All right. We'll help you. Let me have a look at your friend."

I called over Martel. She knelt before the man, pushing her shawl back. The dwarf took in the swollen area around her chest, and he nodded. "Let me see if I can get you fixed up."

He led us into the mine. It was massive, and I knew that I would have gotten lost if it wasn't for the dwarf leading me. And then we stepped into a room into the cavern, and my eyes grew wide as I saw what lie there.

The room was filled with gems, smaller than Martel's crystal, although some shined just as much as Martel's. The dwarf lead us over to one side, where a golden colored metal was. "This is inhibitor ore. It will help that swelling go down. I don't know how much we can do, but, in the proper form, it will help some."

"Thank you, sir," Martel said, and the dwarf turned to me.

"What about you? If you are going to fight summon spirits, you and your group will need some more power." My eyes were wide at the suggestion. Martel said that she had achieved a great amount of power with her crystal, but I never thought that I could achieve it. "I reckon that there is enough for all of your group."

"Will it make us sick like Martel?"

"I don't know, lass." They had said it was something to do with her signature. I finally nodded.

"It's a risk I'll take. I'll try it first, see if it does any damage."

"It may take a few days to prepare, lasses. Could you find something to do in that time?" I looked to Martel, who nodded. Our journey had been put on a halt, but I knew that all of us would come out stronger in the end. Even me.

Finally, we went back to the mines, and the dwarf presented us with the golden ore carved and a few similar gems with that ore attached. "We can't thank you enough for all of your help."

"Just end this war," he said. Under his eye, Martel attached the golden ore to her crystal. And then it was my turn. Under their guidance, I decided to put the crystal- that's what it looked like, anyway- to my chest. I expected a surge of power, I suppose, but it didn't feel like it had changed at all. Well, I suppose that was good. Maybe it would come over time? Maybe I didn't have all that much power to enhance. That was sad. I tried not think about it.

* * *

Yes, I named the scientist after Genis; I imagine he's his ancestor.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not Symphonia or these characters.

* * *

As we finally stepped in the city known for its ruins, yes, even in those days, it felt so odd. As we passed through the streets and people glared at us, I knew that it was at the half-elves, but a part of me wondered if it was because I had left them behind. Not that they had ever noticed me to begin with.

It had been a long journey that day, so Yuan dragged us to a place that I knew well: a place that had once been our home. A woman was standing outside in the garden; her hair was streaked with grey. I knew her right away, but she seemed so much older than the last time I had seen her. Then again, I probably wasn't the same little girl she had seen.

"Mom?" Yuan called out, and she looked up with shock. She looked like she hadn't expected to see us again. She rushed up to her son and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. "They told us... I never thought that I would see you again! You left, and I was so worried. Your father..."

"I know, Mom." She looked up at him and murmured something. Then she turned to us.

There was shock as she looked over our strange group, and then she said, "Would you like to come inside?"

One was talking to Martel, and I noticed Two had a distant look on his face. It was strange for all of us, but there was something there that I couldn't identify. I went over to him. "Is everything all right?"

"They don't remember me." He looked at me with a strange, distant stare. "You don't remember me?"

It had been many years since I had left that place, and I had forgotten. How could I? I knew that Yuan had a... "You're his brother." He looked away. "You vanished, all those years ago."

"It's more than that," he said, his voice incredibly quiet. "You weren't there. You don't know what I went through."

"Why don't you start from the beginning?"

He took a deep breath. "My father left me here; I was too young to remember him. They took me in, like they took you in. And then..."

* * *

"You're coming with me," the man said. He was tall and imposing, with burning red eyes. "You've been here long enough. Now, it's time for you to come home." In the dark of the night, he had appeared to me.

"They're my family. I can't just leave them behind."

"I am a man of power," Lord Aurion said. "This tiny village is nothing compared to the kingdom that you will inherit under me, child."

"I would not leave them behind for all the power in the world."

And his sword was against my neck. "How about your life?"

* * *

"I had to." There were tears in his eyes. "I was so happy when I saw Yuan, the man that I considered my brother, again. And he doesn't even remember me. You don't remember me, and you were like a sister to me." I felt a pain in my heart at his words. I didn't even remember his name. He held his head high. "I hated my father for abandoning me, and taking me away, but then I found him. My brother by blood, my twin. In Tethe'alla, he was the one good thing to me. I don't think I have left his side since. I thought that I would be able to handle it, I left you guys behind, but being here... In a place that I once called home, in the city where I grew up, it's rather hard." He turned to me. "Do you remember me?"

"Vaguely," I said, and he shook his head. "I'm sorry. You left so suddenly. I didn't know. I was... I don't even remember your name."

"We never told you our names. I thought you would know. I saw you in the castle. You were like a sister to me. It was my mistake." He turned away, a small, bitter smile on his face. "What do you call me?"

"...One and Two. You're Two. I could never tell you apart."

"Then Two I shall be," he said. "Perhaps it's better for him not to know. Thank you for talking to me. I know now." With that, he stood, and he walked away. I watched after him, and I felt sorry for the man that I had once called my brother, and I wondered what his name had been in our world, so long ago.

* * *

As we were heading to the fourth temple, I decided that now was the time to reveal the power.

"The dwarves gave us these special crystals that are supposed to enhance your power," I explained. "These are the power that we went there to achieve." I set them out on the table.

"Some of these are different than others." Looking at the table, I noticed that some of them were smaller and rounder than the crystals Martel and I wore, and they didn't shine as much. "How do we know which ones get which?"

I remembered the dwarf saying they had a few of the crystals. They must have not had enough. In fact, there were only two like mine. "Well, I think the bigger ones," the ones that had looked like Martel and I's crystal, "are more powerful. So who needs the more powerful one more?"

"Mithos," my former brother spoke up, looking at the young man. "He must have the greatest power." His brother nodded, and Mithos took it. Martel showed him how to apply it. There was a question in his eyes at her ease of applying it, but he didn't ask it, and she didn't answer it.

"Only one left," his brother spoke up. I wondered if I should have taken one of the smaller ones before, but I had to test out the bigger ones, make sure that they weren't going to harm my friends. That made sense, right? "Who should it go to?"

"Yuan," my former brother said, very quietly. I looked at him, and I understood why. Although he didn't want him to know that he was his brother, he still wanted to care for him. Well, I'm sure that the twins could take care of themselves when it came to. And Yuan took it and followed their example. The twins took their smaller spheres and put them on.

And it was time to head out. We said our goodbyes to Yuan's mother, and we headed on our way, to the fourth temple. And I wondered what this had in store for us.

"A mausoleum?" I asked. Some of the temples had been weird, like a geyser, but we had never been in a place like this. Stepping inside that creepy place, I couldn't help but feel like I was back in the temple of Darkness.

"It feels like we're surrounded by death," I remarked, looking over my shoulder. But Mithos shook his head.

"Are you kidding? This isn't creepy enough. If I owned this place, I would put up all sorts of puzzles, and I would make it darker. And maybe I would hide in it, so that when people walked by, looking for the exit, I could pop out and scare them."

"That's not very respectful to the people who once lived here, Mithos," Yuan chided. As a child, he had taken an interest in the ruins, always going out to see them; I was not surprised that he wanted to be respectful. I probably would have been more impressed if I hadn't been so creeped out. "The people that once lived here lived and died by the wind, you know. Their great king, Cleo III was said to have been reborn. And one day, they say the royal of the wind will stand before the alter and offer their very soul... Maybe they were talking about you, Mithos!"

"I'll just set up traps based on their civilization then, if I ever own it. It's not like that is ever going to happen, so what's the problem with having a little fun imagining?" Listening to the two of them talk, I couldn't help but be glad that all we had to deal with was a little bit of darkness and an eerie feeling.

* * *

Finally, we made it to the platform. Mithos stepped forward, and the wind seemed to pick up. Odd, cause we were in side. "Spirits, I desire to make a pact with you!" he cried. "Please, show yourself!"

And then they were. There were three of them, and they were small, but there was a lot of power coming off of them, even I could notice it. And then the next thing that I noticed was how grating their voices were.

I thought that the embodiment of the wind would be hard to fight, but it felt easier. I had never felt stronger as I fought, lunging for those little monsters. I wondered if it was the crystal that I wore on my chest that had increased my power so much.

There was a blast of wind, and everything came to a halt. I heard my former brother let out a cry, and then I saw why. Sylph's sword went through his brother's chest. He rushed to his side, calling out his name, but he was gone before he hit the ground.

He ran to his brother, pressing his hands to his chest, and found nothing. He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"Please," he said, "come back to me. Please, don't leave me like the others..." There was nothing.

The Sylph monsters stopped and turned to us. "Well, we'll continue this fight when you feel better." And, before we could say anything, they were gone.

We all stood, unsure of what to do now, the only sound being my brother's, sobs. And all I could think was that I never knew his name.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

* * *

Having failed at fighting, we went back to the village that we had once called home. We considered taking him back to the house and burying him there, but we figured that this was not his home. His home was far away, over the sea, but it would be a long time before we would go back there. We buried him outside of the village.

His brother was silent as we discussed what to do. Yuan was wondering if we would be able to fight the Sylph again; we were all thinking it. When our companion had died, was it more respectful to go on or to wait? Would he want us to try to end the war? Yuan would ask, and one of us would try to answer.

"Why would you ask what he wants?" His eyes were cold as he looked at us. "You wouldn't have stopped fighting if the Sylph hadn't gone away, do you realize?" There was laughter in his voice, a harsh and bitter sound. He stood up and turned away, heading for the door. "You didn't know him. You didn't even know his name! Why would you care at all? Go back to those monsters who took my brother away! Fight to end your war and leave me alone! Remember the ones that were lost because you sought power!" He stopped, letting out a laugh. "You didn't know his name, but you'll know mine. I am Kratos Aurion." With that, he was gone.

As he left, I noticed that his strange crystal was glowing, and I thought I saw the shadow of something on her back.

* * *

We waited a few days to see if Kratos would come back, but he didn't seem to.

Finally, Yuan snapped, "I don't see why we should respect him. He was a soldier of the other nation, and now his only tie to us is gone."

"What about us?" I asked, and he turned to look at me with cold eyes. "You- I- had forgotten him." He had told me not to let Yuan know, but I couldn't stop myself. What did it matter, now that he had left us? "He was your brother, our brother, once upon a time. He left you behind because he would have died, but he never stopped thinking of you, never stopped wanting to come back to you. And then we had..."

His eyes were wide, and he bowed his head. "How could I have been so foolish? That whole time... Should we find him?" His voice was very quiet as he realized the problem with that. "Do you think that he wants to be found?"

"I don't know what he wants," I said. After all of that, I wasn't going to pretend that I knew what anybody wanted. Was it for the best that we ended the war? "I don't know if he wants to come back to us, if we ever will. If we should keep going.. If it is what you decide, of course, I will follow you."

Mithos had listened to our conversation the whole time, and he sighed. There was sadness in his eyes, there was weariness. He saw the sadness, the pure anger that had been in Kratos when he had left us behind. "All I want to do is end this war," he said. "We have paid a cost, but all we can do is keep going. I don't think anything will be accomplished by waiting."

And so it was decided. Once again, we went to the mausoleum. To avenge our friend that we had never known at all and to accomplish the goal that had started this whole mess.

And, indeed, a mess it was.

* * *

We walked in silence through the temple. No talks of traps, no talks of history. Mithos lit the way, and finally we came back to the portal. "Sylph, we are ready to fight you again! For our friend, for the war to end, please, give us your power!"

And there they were. And, even though there were only four of us, we fought with all of our strength. We fought for the Aurion who's name we never knew, we fought for the war, we fought for the one who had left us behind. I felt power burning through me, the power of my crystal, and I poured my soul into that battle. I don't remember much of it. A flurry of movements and swords- and then, at the end of it all, there was Mithos. He stood tall and brave, holding his head high despite the pain I was sure he had.

"Hmm," one of the Sylph said, in their annoying little voice, "make your vow."

"I vow to use your power to protect this world," Mithos said, and then they were gone. Mithos took out his card and smiled. "It's over."

We had lost Kratos and his brother, but now four seals were done. We were half-way done, and that was enough.

* * *

We were ready to get a move on. We kept an eye out for Kratos, but it seemed like he was never coming back. Mithos smiled for the first time in a while as he saw the next location on the map.

"The Temple of Light." Something about that gave me hope.

Over the next days of travel, we continued to search for Kratos, but he was nowhere to be found. And so we continued on to the Temple of Lightning. One day, less than a day's walk from the temple, we reached a small town. It was nightfall, so we decided to rest. And, looking back on those days, I can't help but wish that we had just kept walking.

"Half-elf, what are you doing here?"

I was walking with Mithos, going to get supplies in a quick run, when somebody called that out. Mithos flinched, but she kept his head down and pulled me along. Then there was a man there, glaring in front of us. "Did you hear us? Hasn't your kind brought enough shame to us? What are you doing in this town?"

"We'll be out of your way soon enough," Mithos said, and the man huffed, pushing her away.

"That's not good enough! Your kind is always coming to our city and bringing trouble to us. It's your fault that this war started in the first place-"

"We're trying to stop it. Why don't you just leave us alone?" I yelled. I wished that we were in Tethe'alla, so that we had my power, so that I could make him stop, but I had to use words instead. Somehow, I felt like using my sword would only make things worse.

Then there was a group around us, leering at us. "It's all their fault," they said. "If they had never come here-"

"We're trying to stop them," Mithos said, and I saw him reach for one of his cards. "We're going to stop the war, we have the power of the summons spirits with us." I grabbed his hand to stop him, but they noticed anyway.

"Oh? A summoner?" one of the group said. "I'm sure our king will pay a pretty penny for a summoner."

"You won't take him," I snarled, and they laughed as I drew my sword. I pushed Mithos behind me. I knew that he had all of the strength of the four summon spirits now, but we both knew that it would only make it worse. It would be one thing to use that power against a monster but to use it against somebody else.

And then they were all around us, pushing towards us, barely giving Mithos room to draw his cards, certainly not enough room to draw my sword. And they were grabbing me and him, and it was all a blur-

"Leave them alone!" And then Martel was there. I don't know how she knew that we were in danger, but she was there- and a massive amount of power was coming off of her, like I had never felt before- and then there was-

Wings. Wings exploded from her back. Suddenly, everybody took a step back as they saw beautiful Martel with those beautiful wings. Even the humans could feel her power. "Stand back! Step away from them!"

And the crowd parted, and Martel ran over to us. "Are you all right?"

"Are they... are they with you?" the first man who had come up to us asked her, and she nodded. She must have realized that she suddenly had power over these people. I had never known her to use that kind of power, but, well, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"These two are under my protection," she said. Her voice sounded booming to my ears, it almost hurt to hear it. "If you know what's good for you, you will stand aside and leave them be, do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'm." Just like that, the crowd was gone, leaving just the three of us. Mithos was staring at Martel's wings.

"Martel," he asked, his voice was shaking, "w-what... what..."

And finally, she looked over her shoulder and saw the wings. She nearly jolted at the look of them. "W-what? Was this why they were so afraid of me?"

"I think so, Martel," I told her gently. Mithos was staring at her as if he didn't know what to think. I suppose it was all kind of a shock for him. And she saw the look on his face, and she bowed her head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hide it from you. I think it was from the crystal that I got-"

"You never got a crystal, did you? You said..." She let out a sigh and removed her shawl. Her crystal was beautiful and glowing, like her wings.

I sighed as she looked at me to explain. "When we went to the mine, it was because Martel was sick. The people in Palmacosta told us that we could find ore to help heal her. The fact that we all got crystals was just a bonus." Mithos looked at me with accusing eyes, and then I saw something that hadn't been there before. We hadn't been in battle before, but Martel's shoulder looked like it had been wounded. It was like her crystal. "Martel, what is that? Your shoulder?"

She froze as she looked down, and she saw that her shoulder. "I-I don't know." Her wings faded back, and she was suddenly quaking. "I can't... I don't-" Suddenly, she fell.

"Martel!"

* * *

"I've never seen anything like this before." Martel was resting in the inn. We had gotten a doctor- a half-elven one- and we had been waiting for a long time. In the time that it took for the doctor to examine Martel, we had explained things to Yuan, and he had yet to leave her side. "Her mana is drained. She's very weak, and her shoulder... It's not that she has been wounded. Her shoulder is hard. There's no easy way to say this; her shoulder, her body is... crystallizing."

"Crystallizing?" I had never heard of anything like that.

"These crystals that you wear... I fear that, if this growth doesn't stop, she's going to turn into one of them."

"No!" Mithos and Yuan cried; I just didn't know what to think.

I thought that the ore would reverse the change. But I raised my head and I said, "What can we do to fix her?"

"I don't know. There are ancient texts, in the city of the elves."

"They kicked us out of Heimdall," Mithos said, bowing his head. "Is it my fault? If we hadn't nearly been attacked, then she wouldn't have had to protect us..."

"I think that it would happened anyway. Her wings only sped up the process," the doctor explained.

"What do the books say that we need to get?" Yuan asked; his eyes were filled with determination.

"I don't know," he said. "As much as I would love to, the texts are in the ancient library of the elves." We all sighed. We had to get back to Heimdall then, no matter what. "Although, I have heard that there are some in the... Temple of Light."

Our next destination then. We would save Martel, and we would get the fifth summon spirit. We would save her, I knew. We had to.

We left Martel there to rest. Yuan said that he would stay with her; he refused to leave her side. And so Mithos and I went on alone, to the temple of light. I was nervous about the fight this time, but I still felt strong. I felt like the two of us could do whatever it took to save our friend.

* * *

We entered the temple. I wasn't sure what to expect, but Mithos's eyes went wide as he saw the ground floor. I suppose it made sense, in a strange way, that a temple would have a library. And Mithos ran to the books and began to pull them out. In this massive library, how were we supposed to find any information? I guess, I thought, we better start.


End file.
